Where to camp at World Heritage Sites

It is often said that every day can be a school day, and while I’m not so keen on the idea of soggy mash or corridor bullies, I’m always excited about a good day out and giving brain cells a workout by combining some fabulous local heritage with my camping trips.

There are a collection of buildings, areas and natural sites in the UK that are so unique, special and important to our history, culture and understanding of the world as we know it, that they have been awarded World Heritage status by international agency UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). This status serves to promote these sites of exceptional interest and protect and preserve them for future generations.

Worldwide there are over 900 listed sites, with the most well known being the Egyptian Pyramids, the Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China for example. But our own little country has many to be proud of, with almost 30 listed sites. Here’s our top ten, and a campsite suggestion nearby.

1: Old and New Towns of Edinburgh

It’s no coincidence that Edinburgh was recently voted as one of the UK’s most desirable cities. Ancient monuments, stately castles, wide shopping streets, golden Georgian terraces and gothic churches have all been elegantly scattered together atop the site of an old volcano that usefully graced the land with the hillocks and knolls that are perfect sunset viewpoints.

It seems that the UNESCO committee also agreed, because it was listed as a World Heritage site in 1995. Must-sees include the historic monuments on Calton Hill and the remnants of industry at Dean Village. The Royal Mile is at the heart of the Old Town – visit the medieval castle at the top and then Holyrood Palace, the home of the monarchy in Scotland, at the bottom; as well as a myriad of alleyways, courts, ancient tenements and medieval buildings in-between that will transport you back to the Middle Ages faster than William Wallace can muster the beginnings of his glorious speech.

To house a rapidly expanding city, building began on the New Town in the 1760’s. Today it’s one of the finest surviving examples of Georgian architecture in Britain. Princes Street, George Street, Moray Place and Charlotte Square soon became icons of exquisite Edinburgh society. 

And if after all that you’re in dire need of refreshments, try the White Hart Inn in the atmospheric Grassmarket area. Reputed to be the oldest pub in Edinburgh, you’ll be able to count Robert Burns and deadly duo Burke and Hare as fellow patrons.

Cost: Free to amble around the old and new towns but many museums and other attractions do charge entry fees.

Find more information at ehwt.org.uk

Drum Mohr Caravan & Camping, Levenhall, Musselburgh, Edinburgh. EH21 8JS

Tel:                   0131 665 6867

Open:              All year

Cost:                From £18 - £25 dependant on season (for 2 x adults, 1 x car on standard pitch)

                        Additional charges apply for awnings and more than one car.

                        Children £2; additional adult £3; dogs: £2

Facilities:EHU available, on-site shop, good clean toilet and showers, laundry, ice-pack freezing

Details: Large and spacious site catering for tents and caravans. Close to the coast; Edinburgh accessible by train. Other attractions nearby include Tantallon Castle, Dunbar Harbour and East Lothian coast.

2: Saltaire, Yorkshire                                                                               

The cotton industry of the nineteenth century was not really synonymous with human rights and fair working conditions, because high profit for the cotton kings was deemed much more important, to the cotton kings anyway. The crowded city of Bradford was one of the country’s busiest cotton producing cities where workers were crammed into dirty tenements and over-crowded slums. Shockingly, life expectancy here was just 20 years.

The grandly named mill owner and philanthropist Titus Salt was determined to change all that. With a will to change the health and wellbeing of his employees, he bought up some land a few miles outside of Bradford and by 1853 Salt had built an enormous mill complex.

He employed 3,000 people and the mill was incredibly innovative for its time with many measures in place to improve pollution and noise, and a large dining hall where his workers were served good food cheaply.

Over the next twenty years his mill expanded into a village, named Saltaire. He built almost 800 spacious houses for his workers, as well as a school, town hall, church, library, shops and a hospital. All the buildings had access to clean water and bath houses.

Today, the village is mainly true to its original design, and is a testament to Salt’s vision for a better, fairer world for his workers. Most of the properties in Saltaire are listed buildings, and in 2001 the whole village and the mill were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Salts Mill was closed in 1986 but has been renovated and is now open to visitors. It’s a beautiful space that now houses galleries, shops and restaurants.

Dobrudden Caravan Park, Baildon Moor, Shipley, West Yorkshire. BD17 5EE

Website:           dobrudden.co.uk

Tel:                   01274 581 016

Open:              1^st March – 31^st January

Cost:                From £5 - £25 per night, depending on size of tent (for 2 x adults and 1 x car)

Facilities:          Toilets and showers (unisex block), laundrette, café (open high season weekends), children’s play area.

Details:             Lovely views from this very rural site, with plenty of space for tents. Approx 4 miles from Saltaire. Other attractions nearby include National Media Museum, Riddlesden Hall and Haworth village.

3: The Welsh castles of Edward I, North Wales                                                        

The year is 1272. After decades of civil war and unrest, England is in turmoil. A new king, Edward I, has just come to the throne and he is determined to restore peace; he plans to begin by dealing with England’s most troublesome neighbour, Wales.

Tensions between the King of England and Welsh rebels have been brewing for years, and by 1277 Edward could stand it no longer.        

The Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, was slowly claiming more and more land towards the English border. Invasion of Wales was no longer sufficient and Edward came up with a grand and costly plan in a bid to control the unruly Welsh army.

He would build great fortresses, designed to subdue rebels, frighten them into submission and remind them of the power of their new English rulers. The plan worked; by 1284 Wales was officially incorporated into England and the Welsh prince was killed in battle.

Known as Edward’s “Iron Ring”, the most prominent castles were built at key positions along the Welsh coast. There are castles dotted across North Wales, but the largest are at Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech. Each bears similar towering grey fortresses, but each has slightly differing designs according to the landscape they dominate.

They are almost 800 years old and have survived countless battles and brutal attacks but mostly they have aged extraordinarily well. They are fine examples of groundbreaking medieval castle architecture and of Edward I’s determination to assert his authority over the Welsh.

In recognition of their cultural and historic importance, they were among the first sites in Britain to be awarded with UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1986.

Cost:    Beaumaris (Adult £3.80; Child £3.40; Family £11.00)

Caernarfon (Adult £5.25; Child £4.85; Family £15.35)

Conwy (Adult £4.80; Child £4.30; Family £13.90)

Conwy Town Walls (Free)

Harlech (Adult £3.80; Child £3.40; Family £11.00)

Shell Island Campsite, Llanbedr, Harlech, Gwynedd. LL45 2PJ

Website:           shellisland.co.uk

Tel:                   01341 241 453

Open:              March – end October

Cost:                Adults: £6.25 (£7.25 in July, August and holidays) and children £2.50 (£3 in July, August and holidays). Weekly rates available. Dogs: £2 per night

Facilities:          Toilet and shower blocks and additional portable toilets dotted around the site in high season; on site shop, supermarket, bar and café, launderette.

Details:             One of the largest sites in the UK, so pitches are well spaced and the coastal location and views are stunning. Pitches not allocated so you can choose your own. Online booking only, and beware that access to the site is by tidal causeway; check tide times before you travel. Only 3 miles to Harlech Castle and approx 20 from Caernarfon. Other attractions nearby include Portmeirion, the Ffestiniog Railway, Coed-y-Brenin Forest and Mawddach Way.

4: Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, South Wales                                       

The end of the eighteenth century saw the rumbling beginnings of the biggest, and arguably, the most radical revolution to sweep across Britain. The Industrial Revolution left no stone unturned in the fight to mechanise the country and even remote corners of Wales fell prey to eager propositions of wealthy English businessmen.

Blaenavon on the edge of the Brecon Beacons was quiet and unassuming until vast riches were discovered deep under the surface of the nearby rolling hills and lush valleys. Coal, limestone and iron-ore are the main ingredients for the production of iron, and all three were found readily here.

Three businessmen from the Midlands leased the rich land and by 1789 the ironworks were fully operating. Even vast quantities weren’t enough to satisfy the hungry demands of the wars in America and France that Britain were involved with, not to mention the ferocious appetite for iron rails that the ever expanding British railways were gobbling up. The once sleepy Welsh valleys were awash with industry; the ironworks became the world’s largest producer of iron and coal.

The fortunes of the ironworks rose and fell with the ebb and flow of the industrial revolution, and by the early 1900’s iron production had ceased, so coal was mined to feed hungry factories and locomotives.

In 2000 the industrial landscape of Blaenavon, along with important buildings in the town such as the Workmen’s Hall & Institute were all listed as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the area’s important contribution to the industrial revolution. The ironworks are recognised as one of the finest preserved examples in the world.

The ironworks and colliery are both now museums and visitor centres.

Cost:    Big Pit (Free)

Heritage Centre Visitor Information (Free)

Find out more information at world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk and museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/

Pyscodlyn Farm Camping Park, Llanwenarth Citra, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. NP7 7ER

Tel:                   01873 853 271

Open:              end March – 31^st October

Cost:                £13 - £15 depending on season (for 2 x adults and 1 x car)

Additional adults: £2 and children: £1.50. No charge for pets.

Facilities:          Toilet and shower blocks, dishwashing area, launderette, ice pack freezing. EHU available. Dogs welcome

Details:             Picturesque site in the Brecon Beacons and close to the stunning Usk Valley, approx 5 miles from Heritage site. Other attractions include Abergavenny Castle and the Brecon & Monmouthshire canal.

5: Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire

Just as the industrial sounding name suggests, Ironbridge is all about the revolution; the industrial revolution that turned Britain from sleepy bucolic pastures to a noisy industrial mass of production.

Ironbridge stakes its claim in the history books because in the early 1700’s, one of its more innovative, and rather grandly named residents Abraham Darby I, developed a technique to make iron from coke, rather than charcoal. This made the whole process cheaper and quicker, and soon the entire area was given over to the production of cast iron.

In 1781, the age old problem of crossing the river and linking the rapidly expanding industrial towns on each side, was solved by Abraham Darby I’s grandson (the not very originally named Abraham Darby III).

The Iron Bridge as it became known was the first cast iron bridge in the world. So extraordinary was Darby’s feat at the time that spectators flocked to the grand opening on New Year’s Day. Perhaps even more extraordinary is that the bridge is still standing, proudly and intact, and is one of the world’s finest surviving examples.

Much of the area surrounding the bridge, and the town that grew around it and bears its name, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 to recognise the importance of the area in the onset of the revolution that changed the way the world worked.

Today, there are ten different museums and numerous monuments all included in the heritage site. Discover the story of the bridge at the Tollhouse Museum, go back in time to a Victorian Town at Blists Hill or find out what’s going on underground at the Tar Tunnel.

Cost:   Passport ticket allows entry to all 10 museums (valid for repeat visits for 12 months)

            Adult: £22.50; Child: £14.75; Family: £61.50

Find out more information about all the attractions and things to see and do at ironbridge.org.uk

Sytche Caravan and Campsite, Sytche Lane, Farley Road, Much Wenlock, Shropshire. TF13 6NA

Website:           sytchecaravanandcamping.co.uk  

Tel:                   01952 726 701

Open:              4^th Feb – December 2^nd

Cost:                Adults: £7 per person; children under 7: free. Electric: £1.50

Facilities:          New toilet and shower block with disabled facilities and washing up area and some EHUs

Details:             Peaceful site in the Shropshire countryside with good walks and cycle rides close by, approx 10 miles from heritage site. Other attractions nearby include Benthall Hall, Severn Valley Railway and historic town of Shrewsbury.

6: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

The story behind the grand facades at Blenheim Palace is a dramatic caper of wealthy aristocrats, royal connections, family arguments, deceitful marriages, demanding wives and secrets galore.

Blenheim is one of the largest houses in England, and the only property to be called a palace that is not owned by either the royal family or a religious body. Work began in 1705, and it was originally intended to be a gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. He’d seen off the French and the Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim the year before, so the nation had a lot to be grateful for.

Funding was provided and work began in earnest on a lavish home fit for a national hero. By 1712 however, the Duke’s wife had a catastrophic argument with Queen Anne, which meant that all funding was halted immediately, while the Duke and Duchess fled.

Work did begin again after Queen Anne’s death in 1714, but was funded by the Duke himself. His bank account was soon drained however, and sadly he didn’t live to see his little country house finished.

The fortunes of Blenheim have since been entwined with the fortunes of the Marlborough Dukes – the Churchill-Spencer family. The Palace, and the family, was brought back from the brink of devastation and bankruptcy at the end of 19^th century by a fortuitous marriage by the 9^th Duke to a wealthy American heiress.

The Palace and its vast 2,000 acre grounds were awarded UNESCO world heritage status in 1987, to preserve and protect this stunning surviving example of an English-Baroque style mansion.

Cost:    Palace, Park & Gardens (Adults: £19.00; Child: £10.50; Family: £50.00)

            Park & Gardens only (Adults: £11:00; Child: £8.00; Family: £28:00)

White Mark Farm, 82 Hill Road, Watlington, Oxfordshire. OX49 5AF

Tel:                   01491 612 295

Open:              1^st March – 30^th November

Cost:                Adults: £5.50 (£5 for CCC members); Children: £3, £2, £1 dependant on age.

                        Dogs, extra car and awnings: free

Facilities:          Excellent toilet and shower block; dishwashing facilities; microwave, kettle and fridge for communal use; on-site shop

Details:             Small and family friendly CCC certificated site with separate fields for large family groups. Local amenities are less than half a mile, and site is approx 20 miles from heritage site. Other attractions nearby include Oxford City, Legoland and Thorpe Park.

7: City of Bath, Somerset

The elegant city of Bath is the only complete city in England to be classified as a World Heritage Site, awarded in 1987 to recognise the historic centre and its contribution to modern town architecture and urban design.

But, long before aristocratic Georgians got their hands on the city, the Romans had beaten them to it. As soon as they landed in England in about AD43 they spotted Bath’s potential and by AD63, they’d founded a whole new city. They adored the pure, warm water that cascaded from the rock so they built decadent spas and bath houses to utilise it. The water still erupts – a staggering 1 million litres of it per day!

When the Romans left, the baths fell into ruin and it wasn’t until the early 1700’s that the city’s reputation as a fashionable spa town began to emerge. It was all thanks to Queen Anne’s Master of Ceremonies, Richard ‘Beau’ Nash.

Nash had a vision of a glamorous and genteel town, and so during the 18^th century he oversaw the transformation from medieval disorder into Georgian splendour. The Royal Crescent was built by architect John Wood, and is perhaps one of the most iconic Bath landmarks, as well as being one of the best surviving examples of Georgian architecture.

Today, most of the city retains this elegant charm. Visitors can amble among the greens at Prior Park, stare in awe at the beauty of Lansdown Crescent, admire the stunning Assembly Rooms, peer into the weir below Pulteney Bridge and sample the delights of the lavish Pump Room. And for a taste of traditional Bath, try the city’s most famous treat - Sally Lunn’s Bath Buns.

Cost:    free to amble around the city but there are plenty of museums and other attractions that charge entry fees.          

Newton Mill Holiday Park, Newton Road, Bath, Somerset. BA2 9JF

Tel:                   01225 333 909

Open:              All year

Cost:                Adults: from £7 - £11; Children: £2 - £3; Pets: £2 - £3 (depending on season).

Facilities:          Heated toilet and shower block; free showers; disabled access shower; EHU; laundry; play area; on-site shop and bar/restaurant; dogs accepted.

Details:             Large, but very well run site in a countryside setting approx 3 miles from Bath city centre. Other attractions close by include Stonehenge, Longleat Safari Park, and Avon Valley Railway.

8: The Giant’s Causeway and Coast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Legend has it that a long, long time ago an enormous Irish giant called Finn McCool roamed along the coast of Antrim near his cave. One day, because he was bored, he shouted a challenge over the sea to Scotland for an almighty battle against his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner.

Finn built a causeway to Scotland and started on his way, but fell asleep before he got there (well, it is a long walk even for a giant). Benandonner soon came looking for him and when Finn’s wife saw how enormous he was, she dressed Finn up in a blanket. Benandonner fled when he saw the huge “baby”, daring not to think of how big his father could be, and dashed back to Scotland as fast as his giant legs could carry him, ripping up the causeway on his way back.

This causeway and the surrounding coastline were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986. It was deemed essential to preserve and promote this fascinating area, perhaps not really because of the legend of Finn McCool, but because it provides a near perfect example of the earth’s development, and the zig-zag hexagonal rock shapes are quite a rare natural phenomenon. They were formed about 60 million years ago when volcanic lava burst through the surface of the earth then cooled and cracked quickly.

There is currently a lot of redevelopment going on at the Giant’s Causeway as the Visitor Centre is being rebuilt, but the actual heritage site remains unaffected. There are still facilities such as toilets and café. The walk down to the causeway is steep, but there is a shuttle bus. The causeway lies on the route of the coast path, which is well worth exploring because the coastline is stunning.

            Park & Ride from Bushmills (Adult: £1.75; Child; £1.00; Family: £5)

For more information see nationaltrust.org.uk and search for Giant’s Causeway.

Tullans Country Holiday Park, 46 Newmills Road, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland, BT52 2JB

Website:           tullans.com

Tel:                   02870 342 309

Open:              17^th March – 30^th October 2011

Cost:                From £13 - £18 depending on season (for 2 x adults and 1 x car)

Children: £0 - £2 depending on season

Facilities:          Excellent shower and toilet facilities (inc baby changing and family shower rooms); laundry; dishwashing area; TV room and games room; play area; wi-fi

Details:             Space for 5 tents only so book one week in advance. Rural farmland setting close to town and approx 10 miles from Heritage Site. Other attractions nearby include the historic town of Coleraine, WaterWorld, Surf School and Bushmills Whisky Distillery.

9: Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, Kent

Canterbury Cathedral is arguably one of the most well know religious buildings in Britain. It is indeed the oldest; a place of worship has existed here since St Augustine was sent from Rome in the 6^th century to convert the English to Christianity. St Augustine built the first cathedral within Canterbury’s city walls in 602 so becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Over the centuries, the cathedral and its surrounding buildings have seen many changes. Norman Archbishop Lanfranc built the first stone structure in 1077, but much was destroyed by fire in 1174 and had to be rebuilt. The nave was replaced in the 15^th century and additions such as the Bell Tower made during the 1400’s.

The site was used as a Benedictine monastery, until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16^th century when the cathedral became simply a place of worship.

Today, the cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England (currently Rowan Williams), and over 2,000 services are held every year. The cathedral, along with St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church all form the World Heritage Site, which were designated as such in 1987 in recognition of the importance of the religious buildings to the history of Christianity in England.

Visitors can admire the impressive Romanesque crypt (the oldest surviving part), get stiff necks gawping into the incredible nave and the enormous towering columns of stone, explore St Augustine’s Abbey nearby, hunt for the ghost of murdered Archbishop Thomas Beckett and appreciate the tranquil gardens.      

See canterbury-cathedral.org.uk for more details and opening times.

There may be some restrictions on visiting, depending on special events/services. Full details are on the website.

Yew Tree Park, Stone Street, Petham, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5PL

Tel:                   01227 700 306

Open:              31^st March – 18^th September

Cost:                £14 - £19 depending on season (2 x adults and 1 x car)

                        Additional adults: £4; children: £2; guests: £2.50

Facilities:          Good toilet and shower block; washing up area; laundry; play area; freezers; EHU; heated swimming pool; wi-fi. No dogs

Details:             Peaceful site in quiet countryside with great views, approx five miles from Canterbury. Other attractions include walks in Chartham Downs, Herne Bay and Whitstable (for oysters), Wingham Wildlife Park, Deal Castle and Dover.

10: Dorset and East Devon Coast (Jurassic Coast)

Stretching for almost 100 miles along England’s South Coast, the Jurassic Coast is not really the place to go for a spot of dinosaur hunting, but it is the place to go if visions of stunning coastlines, beautiful beaches and a wealth of geological history beneath your feet have grabbed your attention.

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site was inscribed in 2001, and was the first wholly natural heritage site in the UK. It was awarded the status because of its unique rock formations that show almost 180 million years of geological history. This unique area begins near Exmouth and heads east all the way to Swanage.

The oldest rocks here were created in the Mesozoic era of the earth, some 250 million years ago, and layers of rocks were added in different periods after that to create a kind of “cake” affect, right up to 70 million years ago. The fact that the rocks are on display in the form of cliff faces, coves, arches and beaches mean that the whole area is a geologist’s haven.

The coast is also important because of the huge numbers of fossils that have been discovered here. Mary Anning from nearby Lyme Regis was an avid fossil hunter in the early 1800’s; she made some of the most important fossil discoveries, including that of a complete Ichthyosaur.

For the visitor to the Heritage site today, there are many attractions worth seeing. For the energetic, the whole of the Jurassic coast can be walked by following the South West Coast Path, but “must-see” sections include to natural arch at Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, the pebbles of Chesil Beach, the landslides of Lyme Regis and the Isle of Portland. There are also several visitor centres and museums dotted along the coastline.

Cost: Free to walk along the coast and beaches. Admission fee payable for some museums.

Hook Farm, Gore Lane, Uplyme, Lyme Regis, Dorset. DT7 3UU

Tel:                   01297 442 801

Open:              1^st March – 31^st October

Cost:                £10 - £28 depending on tent size and season (2 x adults and 1 x car)

                        Child under 4: Free; Child 5-16 yrs: £1.75; dogs: £1.50; additional car: £2.00

Facilities:          Modern toilet and shower blocks; laundry; electric hook-up available; play area; n-site shop; freezers; dog walking field. Dogs accepted (except for certain breeds eg Rottweiler; check website or call for full details)

Details:             Lovely quiet site situated in AONB with great views. Less than 5 miles into Lyme Regis centre and coast path is accessible from site. Other attractions include Lyme Regis beach, Monkey World rescue centre and Sherborne Castle.

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